critical thinking rebus puzzles

8 Easy Rebus Puzzles with Answers Plus a Free Printable

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From my years of teaching upper elementary students, I’ve found that using easy rebus puzzles with answers in class is a fun way to not only get but hold their interest.

Rebus puzzles for kids offer an engaging and educational challenge, fostering problem-solving skills, language comprehension, and critical thinking abilities.

I’ve witnessed the positive impact of these puzzles in my classroom. From tricky rebus puzzles to intermediate picture puzzles with answers , they all captivate students’ attention while enhancing their cognitive abilities.

💡 Help Your Kids Solve Easy Rebus Puzzles Discover our comprehensive riddle-solving guide, Rebus Puzzles for Kids , and get our kid-friendly Printable Rebus Puzzle Guide & Cards .

Watch your child’s curiosity and confidence grow!

Rebus Puzzles: A Quick Look

Rebus puzzles blend verbal and visual elements to depict words or phrases, using images, symbols, and letters. They challenge solvers to uncover their meanings, stimulating verbal and visual perception processing.

Solving easy rebus puzzles with answers improves critical thinking and problem-solving skills, encouraging creativity, lateral thinking, and independence. By decoding clues and uncovering hidden messages, individuals sharpen mental agility and boost brain function.

Rebus puzzles are fun and educational challenges that elementary-aged children enjoy. They provide a unique and rewarding mental exercise.

8 Easy Rebus Puzzles with Hints and Answers

Give these simple rebus puzzles a try and share them with the elementary kids in your life!

🧐 You’ll find the answers to these easy rebus puzzles below!

Easy Rebus Puzzle #1

Here’s a rebus example that shows the word ‘working’ written 9 times and the word ‘five’ written twice. It may take some deep thinking, but after all of that hard work you’ll smile when you figure out the answer.

🧩 Teacher Tip: Guide with hints for independent solving. Hints accompany each of the rebus puzzles for kids outlined in this article, nudging solvers in the right direction. They provide kids a chance to find the answer independently, fostering confidence in their puzzle-solving skills. You’ll find the answers to these rebus puzzles at the end of this article.

Easy Rebus Puzzle #2

Picture riddles can include illustrations, numbers, and even math symbols to represent words. For instance, an apple next to the number 3.14159, or the symbol for pi, serves as our next rebus example.

Can you crack the code for our second easy rebus puzzle?

💡 Get a FREE printable copy of the rebus puzzles featured in this blog! Keep reading to find out how. Plus, uncover Tips for Solving Rebus Puzzles and Tips for Creating Your Own Rebus Puzzles.

Elementary-aged kids love rebus picture puzzles because they are intriguing, thought-provoking, and they can even make math more fun !

Let’s continue with the rest of the easy rebus puzzles, and remember to read until the end to see if you got the answers right!

Easy Rebus Puzzle #3

Easy Rebus Puzzle #4

Easy Rebus Puzzle #5

Easy Rebus Puzzle #6

Easy Rebus Puzzle #7

Easy Rebus Puzzle #8

These rebus puzzles for kids are fun and engaging, perfect for elementary students in the second plane of development . They’re easy for beginners but also offer a good challenge for experienced problem solvers.

Tips for Solving Rebus Puzzles

Rebus puzzles can indeed pose a challenge for elementary students! However, with the right guidance and support, children can experience success in solving them.

Here are just a few tips on how you can help guide your learners to solve rebus puzzles. For a more comprehensive look at puzzle-solving strategies for kids, check out our Printable Rebus Puzzle Guide & Cards . It’s a great resource to add to your language curriculum!

Look for Patterns

Rebus puzzles provide clues that require a bit of investigation and thought. By teaching kids how to look for patterns, they can untangle each symbol’s meaning more quickly.

Encourage children to observe shapes, symbols, and words and then use those components to build up meaning.

⬅️ Let’s look at this rebus puzzle: This word puzzle shows the word ‘close’ written twice in pink and the word ‘comfort’ four times written in blue. Pay attention to how many times each word appears and the colors used. These patterns are key to solving the riddle!

With practice, children will sharpen their observation skills as they look for patterns to find the answers to rebus puzzles with ease.

Break it Down

Have students break down rebus puzzles into smaller chunks to see what they are working with.

This strategy will help them become better problem solvers and writers in the future.

Let’s look at this rebus puzzle ⬇️:

The answer to this rebus puzzle examples can be found by breaking it down into its parts. What’s the image of? What does the word say? Where are the pieces of the puzzle in relation to each other? Ask all the questions! There is a rainbow. The word ‘somewhere’ is on top of the rainbow. Exploring these questions will lead to the answer they’re looking for!

Get to Know Words

Solving rebus puzzles can be a fun and challenging way to develop your student’s vocabulary . By knowing the meaning of different words and how to use them accurately, kids will better be able to understand and solve rebus puzzles.

Figures of speech, parts of speech , and compound words are just a few areas of language that are honed when using easy rebus puzzles with answers.

⬅️ Let’s look at this rebus puzzle: This rebus puzzle would complement a lesson on compound words perfectly. It would also be great in a study on insects. But regardless of where and when this picture riddle is shared, having an understanding of different words is essential for solving it, as it allows you to piece together the puzzle to find the answer.

Use Context Clues

Context clues are an important tool for solving rebus puzzles. By looking at the surrounding words or pictures and how things are represented, kids can get an idea of what the puzzle is trying to convey. This can help them figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases and come up with a solution to the puzzle.

This is one simple word, but the way it is written is very telling! By looking at the style it is written in and how it is sliced jaggedly in half, you can get an idea of what the puzzle is trying to say.

To put it simply, context clues give hints about the meaning of each picture or word. Children can use this information to solve the puzzle.

Context clues are especially useful for more complex rebus puzzles where multiple elements come together to form the answer.

Don’t Get Stuck on One Answer

When trying to solve these puzzle riddles, it is important that kids don’t get stuck on one answer. This can lead them down to a dead end and prevent them from finding other potential solutions.

Instead, they should be encouraged to explore all possible options and consider multiple ways of looking at the problem before settling in on one final answer.

Doing so will help them train their brain to think outside the box and become more creative in their approach to problem-solving.

⬅️ Let’s look at this rebus puzzle: Many students automatically fixate on the cat in this picture puzzle and assume the answer somehow has the word ‘cat’ in it (understandable because Jack the cat is just so cute).

It is important to have them look for other clues that might be hiding in this cute image.

Don’t Give Up!

Rebus puzzles may look complex and intimidating, but with a bit of patience and persistence, they can be solved.

These riddles help encourage persistence since children have to continually try different combinations of words and pictures until the solution is found. This type of problem-solving encourages them to learn from their mistakes and think through the puzzles instead of giving up when they get stuck.

⬅️ Let’s look at this rebus puzzle: Have them look at the image from different angles and focus on the location and placement of the words.

With the right approach and a few hints, even the trickiest of rebus puzzles can be conquered.

☝️ Share all these tips with your students and get them to decode these easy picture puzzles successfully.

Kids Can Create Their Own Rebus Puzzles

Elementary students can both solve and create rebus puzzles!

✅ Begin by brainstorming simple phrases or words with your students. Opt for shorter phrases to ensure clarity and understanding.

💡 Here are a few rebus puzzle making ideas to try with your students. 🙃🎂 Upside down cake 🐮👦🏽 Cowboy 💡🏠 Lighthouse 🔵🧀 Blue cheese The goal is for them to eventually make their own, but some help to get the creative juices flowing is always nice!

✅ Ask students to come up with pictures or symbols that can help them visually explain their phrase or word. It’s important to encourage students to explore different options when in this brainstorming stage.

✅ Next, students can draw their rebus puzzle on a piece of paper or create it on the computer, whatever aligns with their learning needs.

✅ Remember the rebus puzzle answers! Encourage students to create an answer sheet for their rebus puzzle, and consider adding a hint for extra help.

Rebus puzzles are a lot of fun to make and it’s a great way for students to use their imagination and be creative.

Why I Use Rebus Puzzles in the Classroom

In the second plane of development , children are naturally curious and crave new experiences and challenges. I find that easy rebus puzzles with answers provide an excellent opportunity to challenge the minds of my upper elementary students and engage them in an interactive way.

These critical thinking rebus puzzles for kids provide both entertainment and valuable learning experiences. They not only expand vocabulary but also sharpen problem-solving skills and boost reading comprehension.

Picture riddles are also great in the classroom because they provide an opportunity for students to think creatively as they work independently or in small groups to solve challenging puzzles.

I love using rebus puzzles in my elementary classroom because they captivate students’ interest and enthusiasm for problem-solving. Kids are eager to participate and engage with these fun and challenging tasks.

Rebus puzzles are a great source of teachable moments as students explore the power of observation. They are a great way to incorporate the benefits of games in the classroom into your students’ learning.

This is what we like to call learning in disguise . Students forget or don’t even notice that they’re learning as they work to solve – and even make their own – wacky word puzzles!

Use Rebus Puzzles in the Classroom and at Home

Rebus picture puzzles offer an engaging approach to learning in both classroom and home settings. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate them into your learning environment.

As a Warm-Up Activity

Easy rebus puzzles with answers can serve as effective warm-up activities in the classroom, whether at the start of the day or before any lesson. They offer students a creative challenge that primes their minds for learning. During this activity, students engage in critical thinking and problem-solving, preparing their brains for the day’s lessons.

As a Team Building Activity

Rebus puzzles are great for team building and group activities. These riddles can help encourage collaboration among students as they work together to solve challenging picture puzzles. Working together on rebus puzzles also gives learners an opportunity to practice their communication skills and help each other review concepts learned in class.

As a Connector to the Curriculum

I like to create rebus puzzles for kids using words from a current unit of study we’re working on.

Connecting the puzzles to words that your students are learning in class makes the task more meaningful and memorable. I find this helps students learn key vocabulary words faster, and also helps them remember those words for longer periods of time.

As a Brain Break

Rebus puzzles can also be used as brain breaks during the day. They give kids an opportunity to take a break from regular lessons but still learn something new! Doing rebus puzzles is not just fun, it helps keep brains active.

As a Family Activity!

Guess what, rebus puzzles are for adults, too! Try them at home with your family.

Easy rebus puzzles with answers can be incorporated into family game nights or used during free playtime with friends. Parents can even get involved by helping kids create their own rebus puzzles or searching for online resources for more ideas on how to use these riddles at home.

Fun for everyone!

8 Easy Rebus Puzzles With Answers:

Watch as the excitement unfolds and confidence soars when your elementary students reveal the solutions to these captivating rebus puzzles, fostering a sense of accomplishment, creativity, and mastery in problem-solving.

💡 Teach them to solve puzzles with our Rebus Puzzle Guide & Cards ! Each strategy in the guide is packed with helpful tips and examples, making it easy for kids to become puzzle-solving masters. Inspired by the blog Rebus Puzzles for Kids: A Comprehensive Riddle-Solving Guide , this product aims to enhance the classroom experience for elementary children. ➡️ Get your guide and cards on TPT or Etsy !

The Wrap-Up: Easy Rebus Puzzles With Answers

Rebus puzzles can be used in the classroom and even at home as a creative activity that helps children learn while having fun.

With the easy rebus puzzles with answers provided in this article, your elementary-aged kids will be building their knowledge as they play with words.

Why not give some of these critical thinking rebus puzzles with answers a try this week? Your students will benefit from learning through play and it will help them hone their cognitive skills. Best of all, they won’t even realize that they’re learning!

Get Your FREE EasyRebus Puzzles With Answers Printable Cards Here!

We’re here to make learning fun and also give the brain a workout!

Join our newsletter and we’ll send you our free printable rebus puzzle cards today. WATCH as your students’ eyes light up with curiosity and excitement!

🧐 Keep your kids busy learning with the fun activities in these blogs: 57 Epic Montessori-Aligned Spring Break Activities for Your Kids 11 Ways to Use Our Roll A Story Dice Game 9 Unique Rebus Puzzles with Answers for Kids A Great Set of Tricky Rebus Puzzles With Answers Score Big with These 9 Super Bowl Classroom Activities 31 Fun Summer Reading Activities Elementary Students Will Love The Best Neighborhood Walk Scavenger Hunt Rebus Puzzles for Kids: A Comprehensive Riddle-Solving Guide 27 Educational YouTube Channels to Prevent Summer Learning Loss Elevate Elementary Math Skills with This Exciting Math Card Game 21 Fun Math Games with Dice for Kids 8-12 Your Kids Need This Activity Book with Unique Drawing Prompts

Donna Paul, with over 15 years as a certified Montessori teacher, is praised for her engaging teaching style. Beyond the classroom, she's a children's book author and spearheads two impactful blogs with her partner, Karen: thatssomontessori.com for Montessori insights at the elementary level and thenomadicstrays.com for simple road life living. Based in British Columbia, Canada, Donna's nomadic life allows her to share ideas and develop educational products with Karen as they travel. Donna can be found spreading smiles and knowledge wherever she roams.

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Critical thinking puzzles for adults (with answers)

Critical thinking can help to better navigate the information-dense and complex world we live in. By thinking critically we can better identify priorities, take a sensible approach to problem-solving and reach conclusions logically in line with evidence. Puzzles are an excellent way both to learn and practice critical thinking skills.

If you’d like to learn more about critical thinking or simply practice your skills with some puzzles, then this is the article for you. Read a little bit more about critical thinking skills and how to apply them first, or just skip straight to the puzzles and see how you get on.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is a broad approach to problem solving and analysis based on logic and evidence. It brings together a wide range of intellectual competences and the ability to combine and cross-reference them. Some of the most important elements of a critical thinking approach include:

Analytical skills:

• understanding of questions and concepts
• differentiation of relevant / irrelevant evidence and information
• identification of similarities, connections and differences
• use of metaphors or analogies to communicate ideas

Powers of inference:

• extraction of meaning from data using inductive or deductive reasoning
• extrapolation of data or abstraction into concepts and patterns
• correct identification and deployment of analogies and assumptions
• grasp of causal relationships, allowing development of conclusions and theories.

Data and theory evaluation:

• assessment of how strong, important or credible a theory might be
• taking on board new data and new arguments which alter understanding of ideas and theory

Rational decision-making:

– application of all the skills and competences above in order to come to a rational conclusion.

Problem-solving attitude: In addition to being able to think critically , you must also be personally inclined to think critically when facing a difficult or complex challenge. Developing qualities including curiosity and fairness, while distancing yourself from ideologies and group-think, should all help to create the kind of psychological landscape where critical thinking can flourish.

How can I learn critical thinking?

Critical thinking skills are hard to develop from only reading books or listening to lectures. The most effective way to sharpen and deepen critical thinking faculties is to practice critical thinking . Critical thinking puzzles offer a fun way to learn and the eight critical thinking puzzles we’ve chosen for this article should help you make a good start.

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Eight critical thinking puzzles – with answers

Puzzle 1 – letter puzzles.

What common feature do the following words share?

Answer: All of these words begin with a vowel. This type of puzzle may send your mind off in the wrong direction, thinking about the objects or concepts described by the words, and the properties they might share. In fact, the solution lies in a far more simple consideration of the alphabet. Puzzle 1 is a simple example of a common type of letter or word puzzle.

Puzzle 2 – Commonalities and differences

What do the following items have in common and which is the odd one out?

Orange Juice

Answer: These items are all liquids and the odd one out is petrol, since all the others are drinkable liquids.

Puzzle 3 – Falling on his feet

A man who lives in a high-rise building decides to exit through the window one morning rather than using the door. Somehow he survives the fall without a scratch and walks away to work. How did this happen?

Answer: The man lived on the ground or first floor and merely stepped or jumped down to the pavement outside. By stating early on that the building in question was a high-rise building, it’s easy for someone reading quickly to assume that the man jumped from a window on a high store but this it s not necessarily the case.

Puzzle 4 – Walk this way

A group of five people enter a windowless meeting room together. An hour later when the meeting ends, four walk out of the door, leaving the room empty. What has happened to the fifth member of the group?

Answer: The fifth person was in a wheelchair and wheeled out of the room rather than walked. Solving this puzzle requires you to think laterally about the question and the possible solutions. The answer can be found by asking yourself whether the emphasis of the question is on the emptiness of the room or the means by which the other four people left.

Puzzle 5 – Shapes and symbols

When lying on my side, I am everything, but when cut in half, I am nothing. What am I?

Answer: The number 8. This puzzle requires that you think about a shape being repositioned or cut in a way that can change it to “everything” or “nothing”. Number 8 on its side is the mathematical symbol for infinity (i.e. everything) and also shaped like two small number 0s put together.

Puzzle 6 – Three hard options

The hero is escaping the lair of an evil super-villain and is faced with three possible exits:

• Door A leads into a pit of bubbling lava
• Door B leads to a room housing a deadly hitman
• Door C leads to the den full of lions that haven’t had a meal for a year.

Which door should the hero choose?

Answer: Door C. If the lion hasn’t eaten in a year, it will definitely be dead by now. This type of puzzle requires you to consider the full implications of the information given, rather than being drawn into a comparison of the relative dangers of lava, hitmen and lions…

Puzzle 7 – The bus driver’s eyes

You are a bus driver. Today the bus is empty at the start of your route but at the first stop, four people get onto the bus. Eight people get on at the second stop, while three alight. When the bus reaches the third stop, one more gets off, and three get on.

At the fourth stop, two people get off the bus and one gets on. The bus is traveling at an average speed of 30mph and its tires are new.  What color are the bus driver’s eyes?

Answer: You are the bus driver so the color will be the color of your own eyes. This type of puzzle tries to confuse you and obscure the single piece of relevant information by presenting large quantities of irrelevant information.

Puzzle 8 – Losing weight

A man walks into a room, closes the doors behind him and presses a button. In a matter of seconds the man is 20lb lighter. Despite this, he leaves the room at the same weight he entered it.

Answer: The room in question is actually an elevator. When the man gets in and presses the button, the elevator moves downwards with an acceleration that reduces the effect of gravity and makes the man temporarily 20lb lighter. Once the lift stops moving, the man’s weight is subject to normal gravity, just the same as before. Solving this puzzle requires a small piece of general physics knowledge.

A final word…

We hope you’ve enjoyed our critical thinking puzzles for adults and that your critical thinking skills are feeling refreshed and sharpened after reading our article. Whether at school, in the workplace, or in general life, critical thinking can be a valuable tool for success and anyone can learn to use it.

Get more critical thinking puzzles on our Youtube channel:

20 Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles That Are Harder Than They Seem

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